Thread: Bandsaw speed - are my calculations OK

Your maths looks good to me.

BS's are typically ran at about 1000fpm to cut wood... they'll work just as well up to around 5000rpm but at those speeds will take a finger off in the blink of an eye. It's a damned good idea to keep it slower. Much slower. Unless you're a Butcher.

FWIW, I've found that selecting the right blade for what you're cutting is more important when cutting timber than blade speed.

Aluminium is also usually cut around the 1000fpm mark; what a nice coincidence for the DIY woodworker! (Steel, brass, etc. are cut much, much slower: at about 100-150fpm, I think.)

Personally I'd probably go for a 2" drive pulley and aim at around 1400-1500fpm. I dislike smaller than 2" for v-belts... just a personal quirk.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Your maths looks good to me.

BS's are typically ran at about 1000fpm to cut wood... they'll work just as well up to around 5000rpm but at those speeds will take a finger off in the blink of an eye. It's a damned good idea to keep it slower. Much slower. Unless you're a Butcher.

FWIW, I've found that selecting the right blade for what you're cutting is more important when cutting timber than blade speed.

Aluminium is also usually cut around the 1000fpm mark; what a nice coincidence for the DIY woodworker! (Steel, brass, etc. are cut much, much slower: at about 100-150fpm, I think.)

Thanks for checking my numbers.

I see you too have read "Introduction to the Bandsaw" from MIT.

Personally, i have no preference for having my fingers ripped off at 1000 ft/min or 5000 ft/min.


A look at the Hare & Forbes catalogue shows speeds on their bandsaws quoted at 350 meters/min and up to 1200 meters/min, that's 820 to 4000 feet/ min ,so my speed calculation puts me pretty much in the middle of that range. I will, initially, be using a 6 tpi 1/2" blade, so I guess I will see how it cuts and have a smaller pulley on hand just incase.

Originally Posted by Avery

Thanks for checking my numbers.

I see you too have read "Introduction to the Bandsaw" from MIT.

Amongst others. I like to know how things work.

Originally Posted by Avery

A look at the Hare & Forbes catalogue shows speeds on their bandsaws quoted at 350 meters/min and up to 1200 meters/min, that's 820 to 4000 feet/ min ,so my speed calculation puts me pretty much in the middle of that range. I will, initially, be using a 6 tpi 1/2" blade, so I guess I will see how it cuts and have a smaller pulley on hand just incase.

Sounds workable.

I should point out that although I said both aluminium & wood cut at 1000fpm, most metal BS cutting guides I've seen recommend 400+ for aluminium. As I cut a fair bit of both, I've settled on 1000 as a fair compromise... the slowest mine runs is 1240fpm which is just a tad fast for ally. Then again, that could be just my blade selection for cutting the ally.

You shouldn't have any problems if you're only cutting timbers.

Also, the lower the fpm the more power goes into the cut. ie. it takes more to 'jam' the blade. I've no idea how this relates to actual cutting speed but when cutting tight radii it can make a difference in 'ease of use.'